2006 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Case Basse Riserva

Soldera is owned and operated by Gianfranco Soldera, who is considered one of the great makers of Brunellos. His family estate is Case Basse, an estate of about 60 acres southwest of Montalcino, Tuscany. Soldera and his wife took over the estate in the 1970s and turned the neglected and abandoned land into what Robert M. Parker Jr. calls “an impeccably maintained estate (that is) home to many species of animals as well as a rich array of flowers and plants, including more than 200 varieties of roses…Soldera’s meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard is legendary, and these are some of the best maintained, manicured vines I have ever seen.” The vineyards are entirely pesticide and chemical free. Yields are kept very low and the wines are aged in Slavonian oak for about 5 years before bottling. Parker notes that “at their best, Soldera’s Brunellos have a level of aromatic complexity, sweet fruit, and overall balance I can only define as breathtaking.”

Brunello di Montalcino is regarded as one of Italy’s best appellations. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are made of a Sangiovese clone called “brunello,” which means “little dark one,” a reference to the brown tones in the skin of the grape. Unlike some Tuscan appellations that allow other grapes to be blended with Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino is entirely Sangiovese. Montalcino itself is a picturesque, hill-top town not especially well known for wine production until the mid-19th century, when a local vineyard owner isolated the brunello clone and planted it. Other growers followed suit. Nevertheless it wasn’t until 1970s that wine enthusiasts started paying attention to Brunello di Montalcino, which by then was becoming an outstanding wine. Today there are 120 estates in the DOCG, up from about 25 estates in 1975. Brunellos in general are bigger, darker, more tannic and more powerful wines than Chiantis or most other Sangioveses. By law they must be aged for four years, and two of those years must be in wooden barrels.